Always The Optimist
by Katmandu1980
Summary: Set after the Neverland fiasco. While waiting on Ruby, Belle decides it's about time to talk to Hook so she can finally start moving on from their past. I'm avoiding ships in this one (except Rumpbelle, but that ones a given).


**This is just another one of those things I'd love to see the show address. Without giving too much away before it's read, I'm not sure if this is the ideal way of this going down. I have other ideas, but this is the one that kind of stood out the most, so I went with it. I'm not sure if I've got the Belle characterization correct, because I've never written her before. **

Belle breathed a sigh of relief as she entered the Rabbit Hole. As much as she loved spending time with her new family, she thought it was time for father and son to become reaquainted. For the first time in what seemed like forever, she and Red were going to have a girls night. Mixed drinks, gossip, and maybe a little bit of dancing (if she had enough margaritas in her). Just what the doctor ordered.

While her memories of Lacey were vague (and mildly embarrassing), she did accept some of her more positive qualities and wove it into her own personality. She knew she was more outgoing than she was before. And while she still enjoyed her nights in with a good book and a hot cup of tea, she also enjoyed going out and having fun. Luckily for her, Rumple trusted her and even encouraged her to go out. And being the Dark One's love, that meant every male was too scared to even try to chat her up. That suited her just fine.

Except one. She spotted him in a corner booth, alone, nursing what looked like a cold mug of dark lager. She wasn't lying when she told him that she wasn't afraid of him, but that didn't stop her from being cautious. This was the man who once knocked her out cold when she was helpless in Regina's cell. He also shot her and made her lose her memories.

She went up to the bar, hoping the pirate didn't see her and order a mango margarita. Red had sent her a text, telling her she was running late, but would be there as soon as she finished up the paperwork at Granny's. Waiting for her drink, she snuck another look at the pirate.

Oh, she heard the stories everyone told her. About how he had changed. How he was a hero. How he was completely infatuated with Emma. And how, now that they were safely back in Storybrooke, he and Neal were both doing the adult thing and allowing Emma the chance to think things through and not push her on making a choice. Even Neal had nice things to say about him. Rumple.. well, at least he had stopped calling him "that no-good, fucking homewrecker." She doubted they would ever become friendly to one another.

Without thinking through her actions, she took her drink from the very bartender and made her way over to Hook's table.

"Hello," she greeted, and then mentally groaned at how fake her friendly greeting sounded.

Hook frowned and looked around, as though maybe she was talking to someone else. "Hi, Belle." She noted with some satisfaction that he was acting timid. Well, at close to timid as a pirate could.

"Are you waiting on someone?" Much better, she thought to herself. If anyone was listening to the conversation, they would think that she was being friendly. Which she was, but she never realized how hard it could be to be friendly to someone who shot you in the back.

"Umm, not really. No." Hook frowned, and scratched the back of his head with his hook. She wondered how often he accidentally cut himself doing that. She had a feeling getting used to wearing a weapon as a hand would come with a lot of trial and error... and possibly stitches.

"Well, I'm waiting for Ruby to meet me. Do you mind if I sit down and wait with you?"

He shook his head, still looking like an amusing mixture of confused and shamed. "I don't mind at all. Will Rump.. I mean, Gold mind? I don't fancy being on the wrong end of his cane again."

She plopped herself down on the wooden seat and took a tentative sip of her drink. Perfection.

"No, he won't mind. He trusts me. He knows I would never do anything to lose his trust."

He nodded, but didn't say anything. She couldn't blame him. She was having a hard time trying to think of a conversation starter herself. Why did she come over here again?

She knew why, of course. She knew if she could love the Dark One, the man who killed countless number of people, and could still see the good in his heart, she at least owed it to the man sitting in front of her to at least try to be on friendly terms. They had been purposely dodging one another. At Granny's, when they both came in around noon to bring lunch to their loved ones (although she'd fall over in shock if she ever found out that the pirate considered David to be a loved one). At the library, when Henry had taken him to show him astronomy books from this realm. Even at Gold's shop, when Hook had stopped by hang out with Neal. Whether she liked it or not, Hook was a part of this town. And the way Neal has started talking about him, she had a feeling she'd be seeing him a lot more.

"I'm thinking about inviting Hook over to watch Super Bowl. No one else in this town watches it, and I think it's about time to introduce the old man to American football," Neal had casually mentioned to his father the other night. To everyone's surprise, Rumple didn't dismiss the idea. In fact, he seemed more appalled at the fact that his son liked football than he was about the pirate coming over.

"Listen," she said, after taking another drink of the frozen, alcoholic ambrosia. She was going to have to commend Ruby on her drink recommendation. It was definitely tasty. "I was wrong about you."

Again, confusion. "What do you mean?"

"On the ship. When I said your heart was rotten? I didn't mean it. I just didn't know you."

He sighed. She could tell this conversation was something that he would give anything not to have. "You weren't wrong."

"Pardon me?"

"You heard me. You weren't wrong. My heart was rotten. More than likely still is. My lust for revenge had completely taken over who I was. At the time, I didn't care who I hurt. You didn't deserve to be treated the way that I treated you."

She shook her head. "No, I'm not saying that. You've done some rotten things. Very rotten things. But you know what? So did Rumple. And I know that. I knew that then. But I had seen the way his love for me changed him. You just needed someone that inspired you to change."

He smiled, a hollow smile. "But I already met someone, and I didn't let that stop me. I know now that I felt something for Emma when we climbed that beanstalk. But in my eyes, she betrayed me. Instead of working harder to gain her trust, I went right back into my quest for revenge. I had her locked in a cage, ready and willing to leave her there to die. Believe me, I'm no saint."

"But don't you see? Rumple did something similar to me. When I thought I had found a cure to his curse, he pushed me away. He chose power over me. It wasn't until after he thought I was dead for him to realize that it wasn't worth it. And now look at him? He's got his son back, he's got a grandson that he would give the world to, and he has me. And he loves me. I see it everytime he looks at me. Emma is doing the same thing to you."

"But she may not love me back." He finally lifted his eyes to hers. She could see the pain he was trying to hide.

"And if she doesn't? Do you see yourself going back to the way you were? Alone, no friends, evil?"

"No, I don't. I'm tired of that life. Even if she didn't love me, even if she does choose Neal over me, I would still be here."

She smiled, and this time it wasn't forced. "Then you're more of an honorable man than most."

He smiled sadly, and looked back down at his half-finished drink.

She finally spied Ruby coming through the door. She was hard to miss with that bright red cape she always wears. Spotting Emma, she waved and then pointed towards the bar.

"My date has finally arrived." She took his hand gently in hers. "Listen, I'm not going to give you an half-hearted, we're friends now speech. I think we both know that that may never happen. But the next time you see me in public, you can say hi." She smiled. "And if you ever show your face in the library again, I can even recommend a book or two for you."

He looked down at her hand. "Are there any books written on how to erase the past?"

"No, but I'm sure there are a few on how to start looking towards the future."

Walking away, she almost felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. After speaking with him, she knew she had been right all along.

There is good in everyone. Even the ones that the world had given up on.


End file.
